And Then We Have Sticks...

he's a japanese fighting snail. the emperor uses them to patrol the imperial palace grounds in tokyo. thy make short work of intruders, eventually.you can tell by his black and white shell stripes that he is an 11th dan master of bojutsu.
 
Well if I'm ever to be slain by a snail, I'd prefer a Japanese fighting snail such as these. One with a proud history.
11th dan master of bojutsu is just icing on the cake.
 
I heard their only real threat is a Frenchman with a sauté pan and a stick of butter.
 
I was reading about "faction fighting", a custom in 18th and 19th century Ireland where men would split into rival gangs or factions based of family or whatever and club the tar out of each other for fun. Sort of like a sport except people often died. Oftentimes women would join in the "fun" by throwing rocks at the rival faction.

http://www.thurles.info/2008/11/11/thurles-women-tipperary-stone-throwers/

http://www.museum.ie/Country-Life/E...rving-the-Peace/19th-Century-Faction-Fighting

I downloaded a book on that stuff as I have a bit of Irish in me. Fascinating stuff. The rite of passage of a boy becoming a man when he started carrying a stick was interesting too. Some of the techniques seemed very simple, but I'm sure they could get their sticks whistling through the air and obviously put some hurtin' on the person on the receiving end.
 
the aboriginal peoples of that small island off the coast of wales have a history of using clubs as weapons in a ritual battle between rival clans and cities/towns/villages/neighborhoods, and families. they even keep score, brag about wounds and do their best to impress the ladies with their prowess in battle while consuming huge volumes of road tar.

i wrote a short article on the subject presented in a public forum that went down well HERE
 
I say give this guy a Khuk!

[video=youtube;QnTLLglMQrM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnTLLglMQrM[/video]
 
OMG! whole new meaning to 'i've got crabs!'. i knew cats were conspiring to kill us (my dog told me so.) but other wildlife as well?

that's one smart crab. hope he escaped. or maybe i shouldn't.

what's that coming over the hill sideways, argh! looks like a horde of killer cr...AGGGGH!
 
Smart crab too. Note how he keeps his back to the wall, lateral movements.

Force to be reckoned with for sure. I didn't realize it was a video, thought it was just a picture, it's better when you watch it in action.

I think a kerambit would be a nice set up for Mr. Crab, seem to go well with the life style.
 
If Bookie could teach them to forge their own knives I think we would be in trouble. In the Virgin Islands they have these giant land crabs. They locals call them congrejo. They get like five feet across and are edible and very good. One of them could handle a 19 inch Siru id think. They have super thick shells too so they wouldnt hurt themselves with an ill placed strike. Hey this is starting to sound like a movie:D

He does have some good technique dont he.
 
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Just my stockman's cane posing with my little pocket folders !

I've much enjoyed this thread . As an ol' gray beard and half gimpy , I can carry my simple wooden cane anywhere .

I love the crooked cane for first line self defense and for mobility issues or course . I'm really just getting into the cane seriously for defense , trying to incorporate into my martial repertoire .
 
If Bookie could teach them to forge their own knives I think we would be in trouble. In the Virgin Islands they have these giant land crabs. They locals call them congrejo. They get like five feet across and are edible and very good. One of them could handle a 19 inch Siru id think. They have super thick shells too so they wouldnt hurt themselves with an ill placed strike. Hey this is starting to sound like a movie:D

He does have some good technique dont he.

Like this?

https://youtu.be/Z_mq_63fEdI
 
I downloaded a book on that stuff as I have a bit of Irish in me. Fascinating stuff. The rite of passage of a boy becoming a man when he started carrying a stick was interesting too. Some of the techniques seemed very simple, but I'm sure they could get their sticks whistling through the air and obviously put some hurtin' on the person on the receiving end.

They had faction fights in the village my great grandfather was born in. I don't know if he personally participated in them of course but he might have.

One interesting thing I learned is that the word "Shillelagh" is sort of an Irish American anachronism. Most folks back then simply called them ashplants or blackthorns.
 
Looky what I got!


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It's made from ash so as I understand it the proper term for it would be an "Ashplant" rather than a shillelagh. It's not too heavy but you could probably give someone a headache with it. Only the exposed bits of the handle are laminated or whatever, the rest of the bark is left natural.
 
was wandering thru ebay looking for a nice steel or brass/bronze ball about 2 in. in diameter with a 3/4 to 1.0in. hole thru it to make a stick out of for myself.

didn't find the ball but i did find this a week or so ago: auction ended with no bidders. relisted at about £30 lower (US$40) auction terminated in my favour this afternoon (again, no other bidders):

vendor's description:
=========================================================
a long length, heavy antique, hand carved wooden ethnographic, Knobkerrie war club

Origin: Believed to be Zulu

Measures 93 cm long, steel ball diameter 56 mm, maximum shaft diameter 29.5 mm

Weight 835 grams

Hand carved from a natural tree branch, hand carved decoration to the handle end of the club, the handle fitted with a heavy cast steel ball and on the narrow end of the club with a steel cap

Very good original condition, slight natural curve to the wood, no splits or cracks, no woodworm
=========================================================================

i seriously doubt it's zulu tho, have no real idea where it may be from, but it oughta do for patting the moat monsters on the head, they are a bit thick there.
looks like it needs a bath to get the blood stains off. :)

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usually calling something 'zulu' brings up visions of rourke's drift and michael caine and adds bucks to prices, but this is so unlike the normal all-wood zulu head knockers that i think it put real collecters off. this one is not for my zulu wing in the castle tho, it's for more mundane walks thru the parks and urban jungles.
 
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Real men pet the moat monsters with their bare hand. I'm surprised you'd suggest such a thing as this.

Probably ok being thick there but I'd hate to rile em ya know?
 
naw, now that they have growed up, they hardly notice if you use your hand. i sometimes use a war hammer, they like that. they do like me scratching them in that sensitive spot on their necks just under their rearmost ear flaps where the scales are thinner (the flap scales protect them there). anyway, i'd never hit them hard enough to rile them. if i pat them REALLY hard they just purr louder.
 
Yeah I noticed the purring sounded a bit like a diesel generator running full tilt when they reach their happy place.

Truly the picture of content I guess.
 
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